ISLAMABAD: The PTI-led opposition alliance, Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aayeen-e-Pakistan, has announced a boycott of the Parliamentary National Security Committee meeting scheduled for today (Tuesday).
The opposition alliance includes PTI, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M). Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), the second-largest opposition party, has yet to decide whether it will attend the meeting.
At a press conference, Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aayeen-e-Pakistan President and PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai called for a joint sitting of Parliament to openly discuss the prevailing situation. He questioned the seriousness of a national security meeting held for just a few hours with specific members.
“We will not attend until all elected members of the parliament are called for briefing. This is a matter for the country’s security. There should be a three-four days joint sitting of the Parliament in which everyone can express their opinion and come up with a joint plan,” said Mehmood Khan Achakzai.
MWM leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas demanded Imran Khan’s release on payroll to initiate a national dialogue on security issues.
PTI General Secretary Salam Akram Raja confirmed that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would attend the meeting in his official capacity. He said that military operations were not the solution.
Mehmood Khan Achakzai (PkMAP), Sahibzada Hamid Raza (SIC), Allama Nasir Abbas (MWM), and Sardar Akhtar Mengal (BNP-M) will not attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, PTI’s political committee has set a condition for its participation. The party demands a meeting with its founder, Imran Khan, before attending the session.
In a statement, PTI’s political committee insisted that party leadership must be allowed to meet the imprisoned former prime minister. However, the committee permitted KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur to attend the meeting.
Earlier, opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan wrote to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, urging him to arrange a meeting between PTI leadership and Imran Khan.
NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq convened the in-camera meeting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice. The meeting is set for today at 1:30 PM in the National Assembly Hall.
The military leadership will brief the committee on the current security situation. Parliamentary leaders from all political parties and cabinet members will attend.
